


the queen's jester

by OneSweetMelody



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Exchange, Gen, I guess you could read into it that way, Pre-Relationship, Riko and co. are mentioned but don't appear, The Perfect Court (All For The Game), kind of but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 04:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11821131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSweetMelody/pseuds/OneSweetMelody
Summary: Written for reynaavilaarellano for the summer AFTG Exchange.Kevin is insistent on recruiting a no name goalie from South Carolina. Neil struggles to understand why.





	the queen's jester

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reynaavilaarellano](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=reynaavilaarellano).



> An extremely belated gift for reynaavilaarellano for the summer AFTG Exchange.
> 
> They requested a Perfect Court AU. I'm not sure if this is exactly what they wanted, but I tried my hand at baby!Raven Neil.

Jean had gotten used to Neil entering his room unannounced at random times so he was barely fazed when got back to his room after class and found Neil sprawled out on his bed, still in his school uniform. Neil wasn’t doing anything particular. His phone laid forgotten on his chest as he stared blankly up at Jean’s ceiling. Neither spoke for a while as Jean put his books away and set up his work desk. 

“Riko and Kevin are fighting again,” Neil finally said after an uncharacteristic stretch of silence.

Jean didn’t bother to look up from his laptop. “They always find something to argue over.”

“It’s about that goalie,” Neil continued. “The one from Carolina.” The clack of Jean’s keyboard did not falter but Neil knew from experience that Jean’s already tight face had pulled into a frown.

“You mean the one Day wants to recruit even though he's a loose cannon.”

Like Jean, Neil had watched tape of the goalie with Kevin more than a few times. Minyard had untapped potential, a rawness to his game that could smoothed out with time but the real issue was with his inconsistency on the field. He could walk way with a completely shutdown game as easily as he could idly stand in the goal as if he’d forgotten that there was a game to play. According to Kevin, the issue with his inconsistency was more from his lack of interest in the sport than his own skills. Neil didn’t understand how anyone with that much clear natural, if underutilized, talent could hate the game. For the first time, as far as it came to exy, Neil doubted Kevin’s judgement but Kevin was convinced he could change the goalie’s mind.

But how much time it would cost and Minyard’s level of cooperation were unknown factors.

“He’s not that bad,” Neil said mostly trying to convince himself.

“Nathaniel," Jean said in an almost patronizing tone, using Neil's rarely used full name, "he went to juvie.”

“It’s not like he killed anyone,” Neil countered. “And if he did it, it’s not anything that can’t be fixed.”

Jean let out a disapproving sound. “If he’s not up to our standards it’ll be a waste of resources. He’s nothing but a liability.”

“Or an investment.”

“Investments should be less risk.”

“If you don’t take risks, you will lose out on opportunities,” Neil shrugged even though Jean couldn’t see him. “ Kevin thinks Minyard can make Court.”

“And you agree with Kevin on everything,” Jean said drily.

“And when have you ever had a unique opinion,” Neil spat back. Kevin was Neil’s mentor, not quite a brother figure but someone Neil respected on the court and followed behind. But Jean and Neil lived in each other’s pockets almost the same way Riko and Kevin did. They needed their space and time apart, but they were stuck together by choice and by circumstance. Neil sat up on his elbows and fixed Jean with a harsh stare. “Don’t act above it all.”

“You’re the one in my room,” Jean said in a strained tone.

Neil scoffed annoyance and dropped back on Jean’s bed, making a production of getting more comfortable but never taking his focus off of Jean. “If you want to argue, I can tell you where Kevin and Riko are.”

“If they want to argue, don’t drag them in here.”

While Neil might still be in high school, he lived in the Nest almost full-time.Kevin and Riko had their occasional spats, some good-natured and others not, their arguments usually never ventured into the realm of exy. It was new territory and despite the Ravens being slated to win the Championships this year, watching the captain and co-captain fight was putting a visible strain on the team’s dynamics. It wouldn’t be enough to risk them the Championship, especially with the season barely underway, but it was still frustrating to watch.

Riko might be arrogant for thinking he could build the perfect team, enough people said so whether directly to his face or behind it. Kevin believed in the vision wholeheartedly and threw himself into the process. Jean and Neil remained quiet about their doubts but Neil couldn’t help but get caught up in the thrill of the idea sometimes.

_Perfect court. Perfect court. Perfect court._

“He could be an investment.”

Jean didn’t respond.

* * *

 It was a three-hour flight from Greens Landing to Columbia Metropolitan and Kevin spent the entire plane ride alternating between staring anxiously at Neil and staring anxiously out of the plane window. His body was stiff with tension but his hands shook. If Neil didn’t know for a fact that Kevin almost completely abstained from coffee, he would think Kevin had downed a whole pot before they left Edgar Allan earlier.

By the time the plane landed in Columbia, Kevin’s nerves hadn’t settled in the least. If anything, he looked more on edge but whether it was due to the task ahead or Neil’s presence.

“You’re supposed to be in school,” Kevin said as they made their way to the car Kevin had ordered to pick them up from the airport to Columbia High School.

“I’m already here,” Neil shrugged as he slid into the passenger seat, forcing Kevin to take the backseat. Normally Kevin would complain about the seating arraignment, but he was too rattled to bother.

“She’ll kill me,” Kevin said through clenched teeth. “She’ll skin me alive.”

Neil’s mother wouldn’t be pleased to hear that he’d skipped school and invited himself on a trip to South Carolina of all places. He’d deal with the consequences later and find a way to get Kevin off the hook, but for now, he had other objectives.

Reasonably, Neil knew that his private school wasn’t the standard for most high schools. While he wasn’t a boarder, he knew that the pristine facade was simply that, a facade. But Columbia High School wasn’t anything like the high schools Neil saw on television or in movies. It was an old building - rundown and tired, made of sad looking brick that had seen better days and cast over with glum grey clouds.

It seemed like the kind of place the Palmetto Foxes would come to recruit - underpaid teachers and unattended students, kids who fell into the cracks because the school system or the government funding didn’t bother to care about them. Neil didn’t know what to expect but he knew that Columbia High School didn’t fit well with the image of the Ravens and Perfect Court Riko was trying to affect.

The Foxes were a fledgling team managed by David Wymack and running on Kayleigh Day’s good name. Riko scoffed down on them for their lack of teamwork and unrefined skills. Neil didn’t share Wymack’s naive idealism but it seemed a waste to ignore perfectly good players just because they didn’t fit whatever mold Riko wanted them to. Neil made the mistake of mentioning to Riko exactly once before having to soak in a cold bath with slowly purpling bruises the exact size of an exy ball littering his thighs.

Kevin told the driver to wait and didn’t bother to wait for Neil to follow after him. Neil matched Kevin’s long strides and walked beside him until they reached the high’s exy court. Like most high school courts, it was a pop-up court set up in what probably doubled as a soccer field.

A scrimmage match was winding down. Neil planned on lingering around the edges of the field and watching from afar, but Kevin walked directly to two figures looked to be the coach and assistant coach and began making conversation. Neil sighed but didn’t bother joining him.

Neil examined the players on the field as they rounded out their scrimmage. They were average at best which was an extremely generous assessment on Neil’s part but he wasn’t there to scout the team. Minyard was leaning against his racquet, standing next to the goal but doing nothing to defend it. The dealers and backliners had a decent foundation and grasp of their skills, however, their clear failure to communicate left them fumbling as a result. The strikers had sloppy footwork, but they managed to work their way around the defense anyway, shoot ball after ball into the goal.

The scrimmage ended after a few minutes and the coach detached himself from his conversation with Kevin to address the team. The students grumbled before hastily collecting their racquets and drinks and shuffling back to the building. Several players shot glances at Neil and Kevin and more than a few lingered around looking as though they wanted to talk to The Kevin Day but their interest only lasted a few short-lived moments before they followed the rest of their teammates back towards the school.

Neil met a few identical twins in his life and knew from Andrew Minyard’s file that he had an identical twin brother, but it was still surprising to see both Minyard brothers side by side with their matching brilliant blond hair and their equally bored expressions. Both twins brushed by Kevin without acknowledging him but Kevin didn’t appear rebuffed.

“Nathaniel,” Kevin motioned Neil towards him. Neil continued to watch as the twins walked by for another moment before making his way to Kevin and Columbia High’s exy coach. “Nathaniel, this is Coach Nelsen and Coach Gibson. Coaches, this is Nathaniel Hatford.”

Neil gave a quick press smile and shook both their hands. They gave him assessing looks, both sets of eyes drifting to his left cheek, and offered polite greetings.

When Jean debuted his number four tattoo two years prior, it had met with a heavy round of buzz. Riko and Kevin wore number one and two tattoos respectively on their right cheekbones. It was a mark that signified their position on the Perfect Court. But the clear omission of the number three player in the team’s lineup was baffling. The press and fans swarmed with questions and theories as to why the omission occurred and who the possible player who snagged the number three position could possibly be.

When Neil made an appearance bearing a number three tattoo on his own cheek earlier in the year, the buzz started again. He was only a high school sophomore at the time and everyone wanted to know how and why someone so young had managed to land a coveted position on the team. Neil hadn’t expected his mother to give her consent for the tattoo, but nonetheless, she surprised everyone by agreeing to sign the papers allowing her sixteen-year-old son to receive the tattoo.

It was a symbol that everyone in the exy community recognized and even after nearly a year, his addition still warranted curiosity.

Neil tuned out the conversation between Kevin and the coaches as they made their way back to the locker room. Some of the players had cleared out the men's’ locker room but Neil was surprised to see at least one of the twins still present.

“Minyard, get in here,” Coach Gibson called motioning for the player to enter his office.

“Aaron,” the twin, presumably Aaron responded duly. The coach narrowed his eyes at the twin with a look of consideration as if hoping that staring long enough would be enough to determine if possibly-Aaron was lying. Possibly-Andrew appeared a moment later fully dressed and running a towel through his hair and sparing them a dull glance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Neil could see Kevin’s carefully crafted genial expression crack. “Andrew, if you would talk to us for a few minutes, that would be wonderful.”

Both twins blinked slowly and turned to look at each other. A bit of a hush fell across the locker room as the remaining players stopped feigning disinterest. It was eerie watching the twins stare each other down as if daring the other to make a move.

“No.”

“We’d really like to talk to you about your future in exy,” Kevin smiled through his teeth.

Possibly-Andrew blinked again and dropped his towel on the ground. He took his time slowly walking past the group standing by the office and out of the locker room. Kevin’s jaw clenched but he made no move to follow after Andrew. The locker room stirred out of its silence but an air of tension remained in the air. Neil sighed as he listened to the coaches apologizing for Andrew’s behavior. Kevin still tried to appear gracious but even his veneer and ego could only hold up for so long without cracks beginning to appear.

The trip was a bust. It wasn’t surprising given Andrew’s dismal last time and his utter lack of interest in the game. But Neil was surprised to see Kevin give up so easily after the extensive fight he’d put up with Riko in order to sign the goalie. It was almost disappointing to watch Kevin give in so easily. Or maybe he intended to run after Andrew as soon as he finished talking to the coaches. Either way, Neil had seen enough.

“I’m heading out,” Neil said shortly as he quickly exited the locker room.

“Oh, it’s the tot.”

Neil blinked as he took in the figure leaning against the wall outside the locker room. Neil was short, his mother’s side of the family was short with Mary barely standing at five feet tall and Neil himself only hovering a few inches above her. Andrew Minyard was roughly the same height. His stats said he was only five feet but despite the broader set of his shoulders and clear muscles, he looked almost tiny next to Neil.

“I thought you left,” Neil said avoiding the taunt.

“Are you here to play good cop.” Minyard gave Neil a quick up and down glance before his eyes returned to Neil’s face. “I was expecting the queen himself, but I got his court jester instead. He must be desperate.” Neil’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he matched Minyard’s blank expression. “You’re mixing your metaphors.”

“A shame,” Andrew drawled.

“I’m not here for you. I felt like ditching and Kevin was planning a road trip.”

“Tsk. Another boring liar. What a letdown.” Minyard straightened up and gave a short yawn.

“You didn’t even bother to bring your things with you,” Neil gestured at Minyard’s lack of bookbag or duffle bag. “Too busy with your dramatic exit?”

“Aaron knows where to find me.”

“You were waiting for Kevin to chase after you.”

“I was waiting to tell him no again. He takes it personally.”

Neil could feel his patience wearing thin. A few of the players emptied into the hallway and the pair fell quiet watching as Andrew’s teammates carefully avoided looking at them. Minyard watched as the walked by before making another slow escape. Neil looked around the hallway and back to the locker room where Kevin, for some inexplicable reason, was likely still making polite conversation.

He made an impulsive decision and followed after Minyard.

* * *

 Columbia High School’s rooftop didn’t look over anything interesting - the grassy campus, a mostly empty parking lot, some buildings off in the distance, the slowly darkening sky. They were in South Carolina, but the November chill still lingered in the air and the cold breeze from the rooftop made Neil regret not bringing a light jacket or sweater.

“You never answered my question,” Andrew said without context. Neil followed his train of thought anyway.

“I’m not here to play good cop,” Neil pulled his knees closer to his chest. “I wanted to know why Kevin was so eager to recruit you.”

They’d been sitting on the roof for at least fifteen minutes in near silence. Neil’s phone buzzed with another message, most likely from Kevin asking where he was, but he left it unanswered. Smoke curled up from the end of Minyard’s lit cigarette and the world felt almost quiet. It was relaxing in a strange way and even Neil’s usually racing thoughts slowed down.

“Did you find out,” Andrew asked.

“No,” Neil answered truthfully. “I’m still wondering why someone who apparently has so much potential puts no effort in.”

Andrew let out a humorless chuckle. “Ah, the pitch. You were doing a good job before.”

“Not a pitch,” Neil held a hand out and plucked Andrew’s cigarette from his loose grasp. Neil studied it for a moment watching as the smoke curled in the air before passing it back to Andrew. “I’m just curious.”

“It’s a game,” Andrew said accepting his cigarette back and taking a drag. “It doesn’t mean anything. He’s no better than that coach from Palmetto. He thinks exy is the solution to everything.” Something about his response egged at Neil.

“What do you want?”

“Pitching.”

“Not a pitch,” Neil responded. “A general question.”

“I want nothing.”

“There’s a difference between wanting nothing and not wanting anything,” Neil said. Andrew took another drag but didn’t respond. “Which one is it?”

“Are you offering life advice?” Andrew answered with a light scoff.

“For someone who likes calling people liars you dodge a lot of questions.”

Neil turned his gaze back to the landscape. He wasn’t one for existentialism, but even from this height, everything below looked tiny and insignificant. Neil had never been fond of heights. It wasn’t a phobia or even a fear, but the feeling of being both trapped and exposed was disquieting. Neil could only vaguely understand why Andrew had come up here to think in the same way Neil couldn’t understand anything else about him.

“It does not make sense to put energy into useless pursuits.”

Exy meant something close to survival for Neil.

Nathaniel Hatford was a Raven, or he would be when he finally graduated high school. The whole plan was set in motion well before his mother, Mary Hatford, pulled a coup on his father and took over his position as Kengo Moriyama’s right hand. Mary wept at his funeral the same day she sat with the patriarch of the Moriyama family to renegotiate the terms of the agreement Nathan signed years ago.

Neil was lucky enough to have fallen in love with the game before he learned that his life had been signed onto it long before he could even hold a racquet.

Nathaniel would still become a Raven - that deal had long been set in stone. But loyalty built purely on fear could not be sustained and Tetsuji’s own bitterness and need to seek his brother’s approval would be his downfall. The Ravens were an investment and investments did better alive than dead. And the Moriyama name did better without Tetsuji dragging them down with a scandal. So as Mary pulled a tight rope around Tetsuji Moriyama’s neck, the Lord did nothing to nothing in defense of his younger brother. And as surely as Tetsuji remained the Master of the Nest, Mary became the Warden who held him on a leash.

“If you want nothing then you have nothing to lose with doing something to pass the time,” Neil countered.

“You’re not going to sell me on the free education and promises of money and cars and prestige.”

“It would be a waste of time.”

“Oh happy birthday to me. Someone who is not a complete idiot.” Andrew stamped out his cigarette and lit another. He turned to face Neil and tapped a spot on his own cheekbone, the mirror of Neil’s number three tattoo. “Or maybe not. Signing on to be a possession. Who’s your owner? Riko or Kevin.”

“I’m not a possession,” Neil turned away from Andrew’s suddenly intense gaze.

“Denial isn’t a good look and neither is desperation,” Andrew said. “You asked enough questions. How about answering mine? A trade.”

“I joined the Ravens because my parents made a promise to Tetsuji Moriyama years ago,” Andrew raised an eyebrow and Neil’s statement and stamped out his half-finished cigarette. “They thought I was good enough or that I was worth training to be good enough. It ended up working out for everyone.”

“That doesn’t sound like a choice,” Andrew reached out slowly and Neil carefully tracked his movements as Andrew reached out to touch two fingers to Neil’s tattoo.

“Maybe not,” Neil could admit that at least to himself or in private in Jean. But he didn’t have the same underlying hatred of the game that Jean did or the dispassion that Andrew had. Neil shrugged carefully not to dislodge Andrew’s hand. “Like I said, I’m not trying to get you to sign.”

“There’s nothing I could want that you could give me,” Andrew removed his hand. “Like you said, it’s a waste of time.”

“You underestimate how desperate and stubborn Kevin is.”

“You underestimate how much I enjoy telling him no.”

Neil slowly rose to his feet. The tingled a bit from how long Neil held his position before so he shifted a few times to get his circulation back. “Then I guess we’ll see each other again.”

Andrew turned his attention back to the view overlooking Columbia. Neil’s phone buzzed again with another text message. Kevin knew better than to leave without Neil. He could wait a few more minutes.

“You owe me a few more answers,” Andrew said shortly. Neil nodded his head even though he was sure that Andrew could only see him from the sliver of his periphery.

“Happy birthday then,” Neil stood next to him for a few long moments before finally making his slow trip back to Kevin and the parking lot.

* * *

Neil didn’t know much about cars but the Maserati was sleek and beautiful. Its paint job was black and pristine and the interior was made of rich creamy leather seats and a glistening console. Andrew Minyard was the single most expensive player the Ravens had ever accepted onto the team. Between full tuition as well as room and board for both his brother and cousin, the car was an expense Neil never thought could be approved.

It pissed Riko off.

Kevin had balked at some of Andrew’s stipulations for signing onto the Ravens but agreed to them without negotiation. It was a ridiculous move on Kevin’s part, Andrew had clearly thrown the car in there as an unnecessarily outrageous request in order to get Kevin to more easily acquiesce to Andrew’s other conditions. But as Neil said, Andrew gravely underestimated Kevin’s desperation.

Still, it was a beautiful car.

Andrew slid into the driver’s side and checked his mirrors. Feeling Neil’s gaze, Andrew turned to look at Neil and Neil’s eyes drifted towards Andrew’s unmarked cheek.

“Staring.”

“I’m waiting for you to leave.”

“You can do that from outside the car.”

Neil shrugged and closed his eyes. After another minute or so, the low purr of the Maserati starting up filled his ears. Neil let himself sink into the leather cushions. They were still parked in the garage but Neil had already made himself comfortable in the passenger seat. Their bags were stowed in the tiny trunk already packed for the two-week break before summer practices would pick up for the Ravens. Andrew had only moved into his room about a week ago, but he was already eager to take his new car off campus to explore.

Neil was still in the habit of stowing away and tagging along on trips. He’d flown down to Columbia with Kevin several more times since last November. Neither Neil nor Andrew were much for texting or calling, but they’d somehow managed to stay in contact with each other for most of the time. Only Jean knew about their communications but he instinctively didn’t mention it anyone else.

Neil still had another year until he would officially don the red and black uniform of the Edgar Allan Ravens. He had another year until he would truly have to prove himself on the court. Andrew only had a summer before the first games of the season approached and he would have to show everyone why Kevin Day fought so hard to recruit him. Neil stole another glance at Andrew. He seemed unbothered with the weight of expectations on him. Investment or liability. It would inevitably come down to that.

But for the first time in months, it didn’t matter to Neil.


End file.
